The proposed TA Cluster subproject in $700,000 is to co-finance a capacity building technical assistance (the CDTA) for the North Eastern state roads sector in India, for which TA 7838-IND: Capacity Building for the North Eastern State Roads Sector, in $1,200,000 financed from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), has already been approved as a piggy-backed TA to MFF 0058-IND: North Eastern State Roads Investment Program (NESRIP) on 21 July 2011. The CDTA will strengthen state public works department (PWD) road management by introducing modern road management practices and facilitate the road management role of state PWDs by introducing more effective and efficient road management processes and systems, and establishing road maintenance funds. The implementation period of the CDTA is from July 2012 to June 2014.

Water and other urban infrastructure and services /
Urban solid waste management
-
Urban water supply

Gender Equity and Mainstreaming

Description

The proposed TA Cluster subproject in $700,000 is to co-finance a capacity building technical assistance (the CDTA) for the North Eastern state roads sector in India, for which TA 7838-IND: Capacity Building for the North Eastern State Roads Sector, in $1,200,000 financed from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), has already been approved as a piggy-backed TA to MFF 0058-IND: North Eastern State Roads Investment Program (NESRIP) on 21 July 2011. The CDTA will strengthen state public works department (PWD) road management by introducing modern road management practices and facilitate the road management role of state PWDs by introducing more effective and efficient road management processes and systems, and establishing road maintenance funds. The implementation period of the CDTA is from July 2012 to June 2014.

The impact of the CDTA will be improved conditions of the secondary road network (state roads under the PWDs' responsibility), which in combination with the primary road network (national highways) and the tertiary road network (rural roads), will provide the rural poor with much needed accessibility to economic centers and public services. The expected outcome will be that the PWDs of the project states will have an improved capacity in planning, programming, policy formulation and asset management, and will be ready for taking larger responsibility as managers of the roads under their responsibility, which are being developed under various road development schemes. Further these PWDs will be ready to replicate the good project management practices introduced under the NESRIP in other areas of their operation.

Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy

The Government of India has applied for financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) towards the cost of the proposed North Eastern State Roads Investment Program (the Investment Program). The Investment Program aims to (i) improve about 430 km of priority road sections in the six states in the North Eastern Region (NER) of India, and (ii) provide capacity building support to the executing agency: the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDONER); and to the implementing agencies (IAs): the State Public Works Department (PWD) or its equivalent in each of the six project states. Financial assistance from ADB will be in the form of a multitranche financing facility (MFF), under which a series of loans will be provided upon Government's periodic financing request (PFR).

To facilitate institutional development and capacity building (IDCB) of PWDs, there will be a capacity building technical assistance (CDTA) of $1.9 million on a grant basis, of which $1.2 million will be financed from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, and $0.7 million will be financed under TA Cluster 0003-IND: Advanced Project Preparedness for Poverty Reduction by the Government of the United Kingdom through the Department for International Development. The CDTA will be carried out by an international consulting firm, to be recruited by ADB using ADB's quality- and cost-based selection procedures with a quality-cost ration of 90:10 and in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants.

Impact

Increased mobility and accessibility in the NER

Project Outcome

Description of Outcome

Improved business process and staff skills of PWDs

Progress Toward Outcome

Implementation Progress

Description of Project Outputs

Actions identified for streamlined business processes for road management by PWDs of the project states

Road Asset Management System (RAMS) database operational

Road safety program developed

Options identified for financing arrangements for road operation and maintenance in the project states.

Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues)

Geographical Location

Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects

Environmental Aspects

Involuntary Resettlement

Indigenous Peoples

Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation

During Project Design

During Project Implementation

Business Opportunities

Consulting Services

The CDTA will be implemented over 24 months, from July 2012 to June 2014. The CDTA will be carried out by a firm of consultants comprising experts in road agency institutional and capacity development, construction quality assurance and contract management, human resource development, road asset management, road safety, financial management and accounting, and information technology. The input from the firm will be about 44 person-months of international consultants (30 person-months under JFPR financing, and 14 person-months under TA Cluster financing) and 50 person-months of national consultants (30 person-months under JFPR financing, and 20 person-months under TA Cluster financing). The outline terms of reference for the consulting services to be carried out by the firm is in Attachment 1. ADB will engage an international consulting firm using quality- and cost-based selection procedures with a quality-cost ratio of 90:10 in accordance with the Guidelines on the Use of Consultants by Asian Development Bank and Its Borrowers (2010, as amended from time to time). Full technical proposals will be requested from the short-listed firms. Disbursements under the CDTA will conform to ADB's Technical Assistance Disbursement Handbook (May 2010, as amended from time to time).

Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.

The Public Communications Policy (PCP) recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to development effectiveness. It establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced.

The Accountability Mechanism provides a forum where people adversely affected by ADB-assisted projects can voice and seek solutions to their problems and report alleged noncompliance of ADB's operational policies and procedures.

In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of, or reference to, a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.

ADB encourages websites and blogs to link to its web pages. Articles may be republished without alteration with the attribution statement “This article was first published by the Asian Development Bank (www.adb.org)" and a clickable link back to adb.org.